Poverty in Britain remains stubbornly high, with more than one in five people now living in deprivation, a new report has warned. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation said hardship is set to deepen further unless the government takes stronger action before the end of the current parliament.
Poverty in Britain remains at record levels, with around 14.2 million people—about 21 per cent of the population—living in deprivation, according to a new report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF).
In its UK Poverty 2026 report, the JRF warned that poverty levels are likely to rise further by the end of the current parliament unless the government takes stronger action, prompting renewed calls for urgent intervention.
Deepening hardship among the poorest
While overall relative poverty has remained broadly flat in recent years, conditions for those below the poverty line have deteriorated sharply. The poorest households are falling further behind, with record numbers now living in what the JRF defines as “very deep poverty”.
This category refers to households whose incomes do not cover basic essentials such as food, energy bills and clothing.
Around 6.8 million people—roughly half of those in poverty—were living in very deep poverty in 2023–24, the highest number and proportion since records began three decades ago. On average, households in this group live on incomes 59 percent below the poverty line. For a couple with two young children, this means an annual income of £16,400 or less.
Although people may move in and out of very deep poverty, about 1.9 million people—3 percent of the UK population—are persistently trapped at this level. A family of four in this situation would need an additional £14,700 a year to move entirely out of poverty.
Cost of living crisis continues to bite
The JRF said the cost of living crisis continues to hit those on the lowest incomes hardest, even four years on. Millions are going without food, falling behind on bills or borrowing simply to survive.
“Poverty in the UK is still not just widespread; it is deeper and more damaging than at any point in the last 30 years,” said Peter Matejic, the JRF’s chief analyst.
The report estimates that 3.8 million people experienced destitution in 2023–24, a more extreme form of hardship where households cannot afford to stay warm, dry, clean, clothed or fed.
No progress under Conservative governments
The analysis is based on data from 2023–24, the final year of the last Conservative government and the most recent period for which official figures are available.
The JRF concluded that there was no progress in reducing poverty between 2010–11 and 2023–24, with income growth shrinking in every parliament since 2005.
The depth of poverty has also increased over time. The average person in poverty now lives 29 percent below the poverty line, compared with 23 percent in the mid-1990s.
Rising food insecurity and in-work poverty
Food insecurity has worsened significantly. Around 3.5 million people in poverty cannot afford enough food—1.1 million more than two years ago—while the total number of food-insecure people has risen to 7.5 million.
The report also highlights the scale of in-work poverty. Around two-thirds of working-age adults in poverty—about 5.4 million people—live in households where at least one person is in employment.
Pressure mounts on Labour
The JRF welcomed Labour’s recent child poverty strategy, including the decision to scrap the two-child benefit limit from April, which is expected to lift 400,000 children out of poverty immediately. It said the move could deliver the largest fall in child poverty over a parliament since records began in the 1960s.
However, the charity warned that without further action, around 4.2 million children will still be living in poverty by 2029. It also pointed to a lack of urgency in tackling hardship beyond child poverty, citing low benefit rates and slow progress on ending mass reliance on food banks.
Children’s commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza described the policy change as a “vital first step” but said greater ambition was needed to end child poverty altogether.
Labour MP Rachael Maskell called for a “radical plan” to tackle poverty, including affordable rent caps, a more progressive tax system and an end to policies that reduce support for disabled people.
Overall, the JRF warned that without decisive action, poverty in the UK risks becoming deeper and more entrenched in the years ahead.
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